Interior • Exterior

Greg Mrakich Painting, a professional painting company in Indianapolis, Indiana, receives calls all the time from homeowners asking about painting their kitchen cabinets. The question I hear most is “I have stained wood cabinets. Can my cabinets be painted?” The answer is, usually, yes. The hardest part of painting kitchen cabinets is the prep work. The stained wood has a coat of varnish on it that paint will not stick to unless properly prepped and primed with a special primer.

If you are a do-it-your-selfer and want to tackle painting your kitchen cabinets, follow these steps:

Sand the wood to remove as much of the varnish off as possible.

Wash down the cabinets with an industrial deglosser, such as TSP.

If you are going to change hardware, now is the time to fill holes and drill new ones for the new hardware.

Prime the cabinets. For best results, use an oil based primer that is made for “problem surfaces” and apply with a foam roller. TIP: If the door hinges are hidden, it is not necessary to remove doors from the frames. If hinges are exposed as they will be on older homes, you should remove doors to keep paint off the hardware. It is important to let the primer dry overnight so it has a chance to cure 100% and bond to the sanded and cleaned surface.

Apply the top coat with either brush or roller – use a water-based alkyd modified acrylic paint. This type of paint will stand up to oil from hands, can be wiped clean and hold up to the heat and humidity of a kitchen. Two coats is advised, again with 24 hours between coats. TIP: Use a semi gloss or gloss finish. This will allow you to clean the cabinets and not hurt the paint. NEVER use flat or eggshell finish on cabinets. These finishes will not stand up to the demands put on cabinets.

It would take a highly skilled professional painter a week to do an “average size kitchen.” As a homeowner, you need to ask yourself if you have the time and patience to prep and paint your kitchen cabinets, or is this one project that is better left to a professional painting contractor.